Somewhat shy of novelty prints as I am, I do appreciate a print with novelty features that doesn’t shout them out at you at first glance. This is much easier to achieve in a repetitive all over print than, say, a border print skirt. Still, if it’s a choice between a print featuring a mid-action blaring circus scene or a muted leaf print featuring some sneaky birds, I’m going to opt for the latter. And what do you know, the Tropical Parakeet dress from Emily and Fin features just that.

Dress: Tropical Parakeets Claudia dress C/O Emily and Fin
Bag: Erin wicker bag by Dancing Days/Banned
Shoes: Whisky Daffodil heels by Restricted Shoes

The muted green, red and brown tones of this print make it a casual, easy wear even with the dozens of birds scattered throughout. There are hints of blue and yellow here and there as well, so there’s multiple pairing options you can lean into to style this dress out for a full outfit.

Made of 100% cotton, this is one of those dresses that’s perfect for hot and humid summer wear. The cap sleeves make sure your arms can get air while the pleated skirt has a pleasant gentle volume by itself, meaning you can skip the petticoat and give your pins a bit more breeze as well. Should you want to add a petticoat, though, a slim volume one should fit to give you just a little lift off your legs. There’s pockets for handiness–see what I did there?—and it closes with a back zipper, much better than struggling with a side zipper when it’s hot, because let’s face it, who can ever get a hidden side zipper to close up easily over that waistband bump?

I chose to size up from my past size 16 in Emily and Fin pieces as they are now very tight in my bust. Their size 18 is designed for 44 inch busts, while my bust is 45 inches, and this dress flat measures at 45 inches, making it a perfect fit. The waist flat measures 37.5 inches, dead on to the size chart, so it runs very true to the chart overall. As it’s made of cotton there’s no stretch, only a bit of give. Emily and Fin’s sizing runs a little larger than standard UK sizes in general so check their size charts if you haven’t worn their brand before.

The Tropical Parakeets Claudia dress comes in UK sizes 6-16 (XXS-XXL) for £75. The Claudia dress is available in 3 other prints as well. Emily and Fin ship internationally and have stockists across the globe.